TheChat: Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says war on terror to be with us for years

“The new normal.” — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who just returned from Afghanistan Monday evening, discussing the war on terror during an overseas conference call with reporters.

Nixon, who traveled with three other governors, said the situation in Afghanistan was improving. But he described as “sobering” the expansion of terrorism into other regions and said that expansion detracted from any progress in the region. (link courtesy of johncombest.com).

“I’m asking a lot of the voters of Kansas.” — Senate candidate Greg Orman to The Star’s editorial board Monday describing the challenges he faces as an independent candidate.

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Asked how he was going to help voters get to know him better, Orman didn’t offer any magic solutions. A 30-minute “infomercial” might help, he said, but many voters are too busy to sit still and watch a long presentation like that. Orman said he’s opting for the tried-and-true method of traveling all over the state and putting up 30-second spots.

“Governor, your state looks like a war zone. Think you should be present in Ferguson to help diffuse the situation.” — Kathy Grab, of Philadelphia, in mid-August in the midst of the Ferguson crisis.

The Associated Press requsted records of the phone calls and emails Nixon received as Ferguson exploded into a national issue. Grab said she had an adult daughter who was in a nearby apartment when Michael Brown was shot. Much of the feedback Nixon received was critical of him for not showing up in the scene sooner. Others offered conflicting advice. Bottom line: Nixon was going to be criticized no matter what he did.

“We predicted what would happen if we didn’t leave residual force.” — Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican, addressing President Obama’s comments on “60 Minutes” Sunday night in which he said the U.S. misjudged the threat from ISIL.

McCain said U.S. intelligence had forecast problems with a group like ISIL if the U.S. didn’t leave behind soldiers in Iraq. “We saw it happening,” McCain said.